


Smiling Underneath

by Edie_Sunshine



Series: Just Two Guys [2]
Category: Sons of Anarchy
Genre: Bathtubs, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Massage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-11
Updated: 2012-08-11
Packaged: 2017-11-11 22:29:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/483550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Edie_Sunshine/pseuds/Edie_Sunshine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bath-time fun for the boys. Plus some angst. And smut, of course there's smut...</p><p>The new, improved version of a story I posted on SOA Slash a little while ago. The lovely SpaceBabe has been through it with her red pen and I feel I must apologise to everyone who read it on LiveJournal because it was in a shocking state!</p><p>Title comes from an Ani Difranco song (see bottom of entry for lyrics)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smiling Underneath

Juice gets back from a shitty day in the workshop- Tig and Happy hazing him and a tyre iron dropped on his big toe- to find Chibs' house quiet. There's no answer when he taps on the glass, so he uses the key he keeps on a chain around his neck. 

Chibs' bike is lined up in the driveway, so he can't have gone far. 

Kicking the door closed, Juice limps across the den to dump a bag of groceries in the tiny kitchen and curses his poor stupid foot. 

'Chibby, you home?' No answer, but Juice thinks he hears a sound coming from the direction of the bathroom. 

He finds the man reclining in the bath tub, a wash cloth draped over his face. The soft sounds he makes suggest he's probably asleep. There isn't much steam coming off the water, which has only a thin coating of bubbles covering its surface. If Juice had to guess, he'd say the Scot had been in there a while. 

Even though the door is half open, Juice gives it a little tap, rather than risk startling the other man-for all he knows, he's got a crowbar hidden in that bath with him. 

'Babe? Hey, you been there all day? What are you doing?' 

Chibs snorts awake, slaps the cloth away and blinks up at him.

'Eh? Ach, just thinking...' Chibs uses his toes to pull the plug chain out and drain out some of the cold water. He uses the same foot to turn on the hot water, filling it up again.

'Thinking? Oh-kay.... I got more beer. You want one?' 

Chibs nods absently, his attention apparently taken up with calculating whether or not he needs to let out more cold or if he can risk it. 

'You never do that?' Juice hears Chibs call out. He's more concerned with finding a bottle opener though, pulls open drawer after rattling drawer and comes up with nothing. 'Hey, Juicy, key ring- in my cut.' Juice starts checking the pockets. 'Inside pocket,' Chibs adds and Juice's hand finally closes around cool metal and he can lever the tops out with a reassuring clunk-fizz-tap. He wanders back, drinking his own beer and holding the other out for Chibs.

'Do what?' Juice shuffles over, puts the lid down on the shitter and sits, kicking his boots off with a sigh and a scowl.

There's blood on the toe of one of his white socks.

'Think,' Chibs says. 'In the bath. What's the matter with your foot?' 

Juice rolls his eyes. 'Tyre iron. And no, baths are dirty.' 

Juice is a shower freak. He could use all the hot water and soap there is in the world and still not feel he's done a good enough job. Chibs shakes his head. 'Not if they're full of clean water they're not, you numpty.'

'Right. And you get in there when you're dirty, and then the water gets dirty, and you're lying in it.' Juice thinks he's won this debate. Chibs just grins, and Juice rolls his eyes. 'If you jacked off in there as well, that's really gross.' 

Chibs laughs, reaches over to the low window sill for his cigarettes and lighter.

&&&

 

For a biker and a mechanic and a Son, Juice can be a fastidious little bastard sometimes. 

'You know,' Chibs says, sparking up. 'Didn't have a bath in my house when I was growing up. You wanted a bath, had to go down the road to my Grannie's.'

'You didn't!'

'Yup. Every week. Sunday, before church, Mam'd march us down there with our bath towels all rolled up under our arms.' 

Juice laughs but there's something in his face that tells Chibs he's having trouble imagining it. Whenever Chibs talks about his past, the lad looks at him like he's being told about some faraway place that can't possibly exist. 

Chibs has noticed that for his own part, Juice doesn't really talk about his own childhood, just answers 'yes' or 'no' to any questions Chibs asks and offers nothing more.

&&&

'That need cleaning?' 

Chibs points to Juice's toe with his cigarette and Juice shrugs. It's toe, who cares? 

'Come on, before it gets infected.' 

Juice rolls his eyes at the other man's fussing but does as he's told, tugs off his sock to inspect the carnage beneath. 

'Jesus Christ, Juicy!' 

The nail's all black and the blood around it has dried to a crust. Pulling off his sock has restarted the bleeding. 

'Give it here.' Chibs reaches for Juice's ankle, tugs his foot closer.

'No, Chibby, I'll get blood in the water, that's gross!' 

Chibs just fixes him with his best 'you're daft' expression and soaks his wash-cloth in the water, wraps it carefully around Juice's foot. It stings a bit, then it starts to feel really nice and soothed.

'Your feet fucking stink, by the way.'

'Well, gee, that's because I've been working all day... Not everyone gets to spend all day in the bath...'

'Wasn't all day, Juicy.' Chibs unwraps his foot and inspects it now that it's free of blood, pushes it down into the water. Juice's leg starts to cramp from sitting at such a funny angle with his leg in the air. 'Had a sandwich and a wank first...'

'Yeah, well, nice work if you can get it...'

'An' I had to ride back across Northern Cali at four in the morning...' 

&&&

Chibs doesn't need to mention that he, Jax and Ope had killed a man, disposed of the body by dowsing it in gasoline and throwing on a match. That they had waited around to make sure the fire did its job and that the other two had made a ghoulish pair with their hoods up and their features aged by the firelight. 

He'd looked at them and been unable to recognise the two wide eyed innocents he used to haze when they were prospecting. He'd looked and been a little afraid of them. 

&&&

Juice swishes his foot around in the water. It does feel really fucking nice. His jeans are getting wet, though. Soon, they'll be itchy and annoying. 

'You comin' in?' Chibs asks as he's stubbing out his cigarette. His voice is low. 

It's a stupid idea. The bath's much too small, there'll be water everywhere. But, it's Chibs' house, not Juice's, so who cares, right? 

Juice shucks his way out of his cut, t shirt and jeans, loses his shorts and the one remaining sock. Lets Chibs guide him into the water with him. 

They have to lie on their sides, Juice with one leg hooked over Chibs', but if each man puts an arm around the other to support his head, it's really cosy. Chibs ghosts his lips over Juice's and the younger man feels his lousy day lifting. 

'Come on, besides your toe, what else went wrong today?' Chibs runs one wet hand down the side of Juice's face.

'Nah, it's nothing. Just...'

'Tig an' Happy in today?' 

Juice knows Chibs is watching his face for his reaction. He can't hide anything from him really. He shrugs instead of answering and Chibs smiles softly, adds another kiss, this time to his cheekbone. 

'They're just antsy 'cause Jax didn't bring 'em along last night. Takin' it out on whoever's closest. Shouldn't let 'em get to you...'

'I know...' 

He does know. He knows it's just for fun, but it doesn't feel that way when you're on the receiving end. If it's just him and Hap, the day'll just pass quietly enough- Hap doesn't really have a lot to say for himself at the best of times. If it's a day with Tig, it'll be tense but then, they all have some brothers they get on with more than others. For Chibs it's Jax or Juice himself, then Hap or Bobby. For Juice, it was always Clay next best after Chibs and Sack. Jax is cool enough, but Juice has never been able to get a good read on Opie. Hap he'd be fine with, if he wasn't such an asshole around Tig.

'You know, if you want Tiggy to leave you alone, you're gonnae have to stand up to him.' 

Just stand up to him, the man says. Not realising, of course, that Tig is a fucking psycho and way up the club's pecking order and the minute you push back on him, the others close ranks and you're just the stupid idiot at the bottom of the pile again and they're all glaring and waiting for you to back down. 

Juice pushes the other man away and struggles his way into a seated position.

'Fuck you,' he mutters as he leans forward to turn the hot tap on again. Chibs just tugs him back, tucks him under his chin and holds him in place.

'Hey, you know I'm right. He's been giving you a hard time since you prospected.... It's time you put him straight.'

Juice pulls away to stare at the other man in astonishment. 'What, you mean fight him?'

Juice can hold his own in a fight: growing up the smallest kid on the block, with three sisters, he knows how to fight dirty, but beating on some douchebag is a little different to fighting someone like Tig. Juice isn't sure even Chibs could take that guy. Then, it dawns on Juice that he's never known Tig to give Chibs a hard time about anything. He's also never known Chibs to wind up Tig in return, and normally Chibby's the first with a smart remark. Maybe they ironed out any differences years ago, before Juice arrived on the scene. They certainly seem to hold each other with a degree of respect. 

No one is like that with Juice, though. They all think he's useful for his hacking skills and funny for his antics, but beyond that, he'll always be the fuck up, only ever one rung up from a prospect. 

Chibs' arms tighten around him. 

'Hey, don't you go thinking you don't belong,' he says, his voice suddenly fierce. 'When it comes to watching my back, I'd trust you over Tig any day of the week... Alright?' 

Juice can't see beyond the tears swimming in his eyes. He just curls his own arms around Chibs, blindly seeks out his mouth with his own and for a long moment, the only sounds are of their sighing breath. Then, probably realising Juice is trying to change the subject, Chibs gently pushes him away, catches and holds his eyes. Juice groans, he's not getting out of this. 

'Look, I love Tig, I love all of you, I just... Today was just a shitty day.' His voice sounds hollow to his own ears. He scrubs one hand over his face, lies back in the bath, even though there isn't really room. 

Chibs shifts over a little to give him some space, lights him a cigarette. Juice doesn't want to smoke though. He waves it off, picks up the Zippo instead, fiddles it lit and closed, lit and closed, lit and closed. 

Chibs says nothing, but Juice feels his eyes, patient on the side of his face.

'I mean... Tig doesn't get me, that's all. He doesn't see the point in finding out stuff. I don't think he even knows you can use the internet for anything besides porn!' 

That gets a snort of laughter from the older man as he takes a deep lungful from the cigarette Juice turned down.

'He just wants to go in there and kill people. And that's okay 'cause we're all different- that's why we're so tight but I just wish...' 

Juice runs out of words, fiddles with the lighter some more and nearly drops it in the bath. Chibs reaches out and takes it out of his hands, puts it back on the window sill, out of harms way. He tugs Juice back over, turns him so they can spoon, Juice's head resting on his shoulder. 

The hot water laps around Juice's shoulders, the back of his neck, soothing him. 

It's easy to forget, when the world's all crazy and they're getting shot at or beat up or thrown in jail, that life can be pretty good. They all look out for each other and while Tig will pull shit on him as many times as he wants, he won't ever let anything bad happen to him. For all Juice could bitch slap the other man sometimes, he trusts him with his back.

&&&

Chibs has made an art of reading Juice's body language, since the lad is so lousy at putting things into words. Just now, he's deep in thought, gearing up to say something that matters to him. 

Or, maybe he's fallen asleep.

'I guess...' Juice says, his voice clear as a bell. 

Awake, then, Chibs thinks.

'I guess I don't really understand what the point of Tig is any more than he gets why I'm here... I mean, we already have Hap, what do we need another psycho for?' 

'Hm...' Chibs sucks on his coffin nail, blows a smoke ring up to the ceiling. 'I dunno... Hap's a nutter, but he's only a sick, twisted violence kinda nutter. Tig's where you go for the really fucked up shit- shaggin corpses an' all a that...'

'Yeah... I guess everyone's got a talent...' 

The smile is creeping it's way back into Juice's voice. Chibs looks at him and thinks that maybe tomorrow he'll spend a bit of quality time with Tiggy, see if he can't figure out what his fucking problem is. 

Juicy can run repo with Hap- if it's a dull day they should have time to bond again. 

If that doesn't work, he's putting Juice and Tig in the ring. So long as they pull Juicy out before Tig's blood's up, it'll probably be okay. 

Hell, if Juice is mad enough, there's a chance he'll give the other man a pretty good brawl. The kid's a better scrapper than he gives himself credit for, he's strong but he still fights dirty, like a little guy- and it's a deadly combination. 

He gives Juice a playful shove with his hip.

'Hey, you show me your talent, I'll show you mine...' He swallows Juice's snort of laughter, pulls him around to face him and gropes him under the water. 

'Oh, hey,' Juice pushes him back, as if a thought's just occurred to him, 'What were you thinking about all day? Are you okay?' 

There's a little frown forming right between the younger man's eyes. It's awful cute. 

'You, ya daft sod,' he says, rolling Juicy beneath him and catching his lips again. A dangerous amount of water slops over the side of the bath but who cares.

&&&

Juice curls his arms around the other man's middle, feels his cock, heavy against his own.

He remembers the first time they screwed, both drunk off their asses after hours in the club house. He'd taken one final slug of tequila- which really, he should never drink, because it always gets him into trouble- and just blurted it out. Chibs hadn't laughed at him, though. Hadn't called him queer or kicked his head in or told the others. He'd just checked Juice was serious before bending him over the pool table. 

And that had been that. No ceremony, just two guys. And that's how it's been ever since. 

Now, Chibs' hand is sliding down to Juice's cock, his grip sure. And Juice's cock is filling out already. 

He braces his feet on the bottom of the tub, surges up against the other man.

'We doing this here?'

'Sure.' The Scot shrugs, rubs a little circle over the head of Juice's cock, making him gasp and moan, knees falling open and hips canting. More water slops over the side of the tub. 

It's tempting. Juice really wants to get off and the water is helping them to slide against each other in a way that is going to turn pretty dirty soon. But, a little voice in his head tells him, it'll be easier to fuck out of the tub than in it... 

'No,' Juice says, suddenly determined. 'Come on.' He's out of the tub before Chibs can stop him, and he leaves the other man to follow his wet foot prints into the bedroom. 

&&&

Chibs finds Juicy bent over the bed, looking for the lube and has to laugh. He aims a playful slap to the other man's behind and follows it up with a sloppy kiss to the small of his back. 

'Got a plan, have you?'

'Yeah, sorta.' 

Juice holds up the lube with a look of triumph. Chibs takes it and pushes Juice back on the bed, sits himself down just below his ass. 

'Hey, what are you-'

'Hush, Juicy. Yer not the only one with a plan.' 

&&&

Juice feels strong hands sliding up over his shoulders, thumbs working their way into knots that he hadn't realised were there. 

It fucking hurts. Chibs' back-rubs are effective, but they're also positively brutal. Juice gives up fighting it, just lets the other man have his way, and eventually, he's able to relax for the first time in what feels like days. He's almost asleep when Chibs slides off of him, pulls the comforter up over them both. 

Chibs lies, almost covering Juice and pressed so close that Juice can feel his erection, softening back into only a half hard but still jutting against his ass. He reaches back for it with one lazy hand and feels Chibs' hand closing over his own. 

'Hey, you sleeping on the job, lad?' There's a smile colouring Chibs' words and he shifts some of his weight off Juice and rests over him on his elbows. He's probably watching Juice, lying there all blissed-out and laughing at him.

'Nah,' Juice murmurs, gives Chibs cock a little squeeze. 'Come on.' He uses his hand to draw the other man's cock down the crack of his behind, clumsily showing him what he wants, and Chibs chuckles against his neck.

'Oh, right, well if you're gonna insist...' Chibs hand scrabbles on the bed for the lube and Juice hears him warming some of it between his hands before he coats his cock, Juice's hole, and lines them up. 

Juice loves this bit, the first breach when he feels all the air punched out of him and it hurts but it's so, so good. He pushes back, coming up on his knees for leverage. 

Chibs wrestles him back down again, his tongue licking wet stripes up the back of Juice's neck, clearly not wanting this to end too quickly. Guy pulls out almost all the way and Juice immediately misses the feel of him, groans in frustration. And then Chibs' slides back again, slow as you like and Juice knows the guy's not going to stop this slow torture until they're both a puddle on the bed, brainless and boneless and mumbling nonsense. 

Juice reaches back to hook one arm around the other man's neck, pulls him in to bite at his lip, and feels Chibs' groan before he even hears it. His cock is hard again, and Juice manages to coax Chibs' hand down to it, shows him the rhythm he needs and then he feels that tell-tale spike and he's tumbling over the edge.

Chibs hauls him up to his knees, face still buried in the pillow and between them they find the right angle and Juice is seeing stars again. 

Chibs' thrusts are becoming erratic, Juice knows it means he's close. He shifts his knees so that he can push back and he hears the other man's breath stutter and then he's squashed back into the mattress, Chibs groaning into his ear, heart hammering against Juice's back.

They lie, still connected, sweat slicked and gasping. Chibs eyes are closed against Juice's cheek.

'Chibs? Baby, we gotta move... Come on, we'll get stuck together...' Juice reaches back to slap him playfully on the hip, and when he won't shift, Juice rolls away himself, turns back to lie on his side, kisses Chibs softly. 'Hey, you still awake?' 

Chibs doesn't open his eyes, just lifts one heavy paw and slaps it down on the pillow over Juice's shoulder, pinning him with it and drawing him in again. They won't be able to sleep like that, nice as it would be. Juice is too much of a fidget and Chibs' can't sleep on that side. It's nice just to drowse, though, breathing each other's air, exchanging lazy kisses. 

Juice has no idea when it happened, how it crept up on him but at some point Chibs became the centre of his universe. And right now, with their arms draped around each other, it feels like the two of them could take on the entire world. Take it on and make it sorry. Or just tell it to go the fuck away. 

Tomorrow, Tig can do what he likes, he'll never have this.

**Author's Note:**

> Smiling Underneath by Ani Difranco (Red Letter Year)
> 
> i don't mind waiting in line  
> no no  
> i don't mind if the bills pile up  
> and the work is slow  
> i don't mind the gas or the groceries or the grind  
> as long as i'm with you  
> i'm having a good time
> 
> don't mind the stoner waiter  
> or the poorly cooked food  
> don't mind little miss kitty  
> or her knuckle-head dude  
> don't mind if every last person here  
> is ugly and rude  
> long as i'm with you  
> i've got a good attitude  
> long as i'm with you
> 
> we could be stuck in traffic  
> for over a week  
> with a car full of quintuplets  
> who are all cutting teeth  
> around my neck  
> could be a flaming christmas wreath  
> and i'd be smiling underneath  
> smiling underneath
> 
> i don't mind waking up early  
> for a flight that's delayed  
> i don't mind a week's vacation  
> was chilly and grey  
> i don't mind the traffic cops or the tsa  
> as long as i'm with you  
> i'm having a good day
> 
>  
> 
> don't mind spilling my hot sauce  
> onto my white shirt  
> don't mind the twinge when i walk  
> in that knee that i hurt  
> don't mind my gums peeling back  
> or my hair getting thin  
> long as i'm with you i win


End file.
